The present invention generally relates to the field of barbecue grills and, more particularly, to a device facilitating mounting grill hoods to bottom castings of barbecue grills.
Commonly, barbecue grills are not assembled when they are purchased. This makes commercial sense in that each barbecue grill requires less space during shipping and storing, meaning more units can be transported in each shipment, thereby saving money for both the manufacturer and the retailer of the barbecue grill. In addition, this provides for easier transportation of the barbecue grill from the store by the purchaser. The purchaser has to either partially or fully assemble the barbecue grill prior to use. This usually means the hood, or upper casting, of the grill must be attached to the bottom casting of the grill.
Frequently, grills are constructed such that the grill hood is attached to the bottom casting by passing securing means through matching apertures in the hood and the bottom casting. This proves to be difficult because typical grills are constructed such that to achieve this task, the hood must be lifted into a position where the apertures align, and supported until the securing means are passed therethrough. Numerous factors compound the difficulty of this task. First, because grills are subjected to extreme temperatures during use and extreme environmental conditions, they are frequently constructed of durable, and often heavy, materials. In addition, with the recent increase in recreational outdoor cooking, the sizes of barbecue grills available have increased. Subsequently, the sizes of many grill hoods have increased, making them even more cumbersome to lift and hold in the required position. Finally, the primary factor contributing to the difficulty of this task is that a single individual may be required to attach the hood, and therefore, will have to lift and hold the hood in place while attempting to pass the securing means through the aligned apertures.
Therefore, there is a need for providing grills having improved grill carts that address these and other shortcomings of the prior art.
Briefly described, the hood mounting device provides an apparatus that facilitates the attachment of a grill hood to the bottom casting of a grill. An embodiment of the hood mounting device includes at least one cam having a first surface and an aperture located on the bottom casting. At least one second surface is located on the grill hood and is configured such that the first and said second surfaces contact each other when the hood is placed in the closed position on the lower casting. The hood mounting device is configured such that a corresponding aperture formed in the hood is axially aligned with the aperture in the lower casting when the hood is in the closed position. Longitudinal securing means are passed through the axially aligned aperture and corresponding aperture, thereby rotatably securing the hood to the bottom casting.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such objects, features, and advantages be included herein within the scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.